


Ice

by 30xf



Series: 201 Days Of X Files [8]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-04
Updated: 2015-09-04
Packaged: 2018-04-19 00:53:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4726652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/30xf/pseuds/30xf





	Ice

Mulder woke with a start, slapping at the back of his neck and frantically wiping at his ears. He settled after a moment, realizing he was safe on the plane, rather than still in the arctic. He looked to his right, where Scully sat watching him. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I keep thinking I feel my skin crawling. God damned worms," he said, running a hand through his hair to try and regain at least a small amount of his composure.

Scully still eyed him carefully, "I know, that's why I'm still awake," she said on a yawn, returning her gaze to the pitch black out her window.

Mulder shifted in his seat uncomfortably, leaning more towards Scully so he could stretch his legs into the aisle. Despite the nearly empty plane, he had chosen to sit right beside her, much to her dismay. After being trapped in a small space in the arctic, she would have appreciated some room to breathe, but she also understood Mulder's mentality. He wanted to sleep, and felt safer in doing so if she was close by. She felt the same, but didn't require quite as close proximity. 

"You're gonna be exhausted when we get home if you don't sleep," he told her, the last word mangled by a huge yawn.

"Yeah, and you look so well rested."

He eyed her without turning his head, the corner of his mouth turned up in a grin. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look at worms the same again."

She frowned, "I'm not sure how I looked at them before, but I know what you're saying."

He turned wistful all of a sudden, "It sure would have been nice to get some samples to take back and analyze."

Scully wasn't listening. "I'm sorry I pulled my gun on you," she said, still looking out the window.

Mulder turned to her, "Have you been worrying about that all this time?"

She shrugged and looked at him. 

He shook his head, "You don't have to apologize. You did the right thing." He held her gaze until she looked away again. "And I'll tell you something else--I would have felt a lot better if you were locked in that room with me."

She turned back to him then, an amused smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

It took him a second before he caught on, and he chuckled. "You know what I mean."

She let out a tired laugh and nodded, "I know what you mean. I would have felt safer in there with you than I did out there with them."

They didn't look at each other, but he nodded. She was sitting on her foot, with her bent knee against the arm rest between them. Mulder leaned away from her, considering her for a moment, and then gently tapped her knee a couple of times with the bottom of his lightly closed fist. When she met his eyes, they gave each other a tight lipped smile. An only slightly awkward gesture considering what they had just been through. They weren't simply partners, he was sure of that. He had never really bothered to become close friends with anyone he'd worked with before, but he already knew Scully had somehow gotten closer than anyone had in years. And he got the sneaking suspicion she wasn't even trying.

"I'll be right back," he said before disappearing towards the back of the plane. He returned a minute later and handed her a glass filled a quarter of the way with amber liquid. He sniffed his own matching glass and held it up to her. "I think we've earned it...might help us get a little shut-eye too."

"If we start drinking every time we earn it, we're gonna have a problem," she quipped, grinning anyways.

"Quite possibly," he clinked her glass and took a sip, getting more comfortable in his seat and closing his eyes.

She regarded him for a moment before downing her drink in one gulp. She set it on the tray in front of her and curled up in her seat. "Good night, Mulder."

He looked at her then, taking note of her empty glass, and smiled. "Good night, Scully." He downed his own drink, placed his glass beside hers and closed his eyes to sleep.


End file.
